Sunday, October 30, 2011

One Saskatchewan: The Green Party's Election Platform

Real Leadership and the Real Opposition for One Saskatchewan

Medicare - It's time to place Doctors on Salary. Eliminate Ambulance Fees. Place more emphasis on Preventative Health Care. Adopt Guaranteed Income as described at www.livableincome.org

Housing - A Green Party Government would build 1,000 new and rehabilitate 500 affordable and subsidized housing units over the next decade. Homelessness will be phased out quickly with the Guaranteed Income and our housing strategy.

Education - Phase out of tuition fees over 4 years, so Saskatchewan's universities can offer free education. This invests in our future, our real future, our youth.

Energy - Banning of Nuclear Waste and Nuclear Energy from Saskatchewan, the Greening of the Saskatchewan electrical grid, create employment through Conservation and Retrofits.

Highways - The creation of a new Crown Corporation called SaskRoads to maintain Saskatchewan's highway network. Investing in infrastructure to ensure people can thrive.

"The platform planks come together to form One Saskatchewan," says Party Leader Victor Lau. "We are looking to end the many divisions in our province, including urban vs. Rural and North vs. South. Together we can create a province that is inclusive and prosperous, without sacrificing the environment or our way of life."

Lau emphasizes that this platform is both business-friendly and worker-friendly. "Anyone who wants to do business in Saskatchewan should have to meet three simple goals; don't pollute the environment, treat your employees fairly, and give something back to your community. If you do these things, then you are more than welcome to do business in Saskatchewan," says Lau.

Lau also points out that the One Saskatchewan platform means the Green Party of Saskatchewan is ready to become the Real Opposition to the Wall Government. "Regardless of how many seats we win on November 7th, we (the Green Party) will hold the Wall Government accountable. As a government we would build on the achievements of the Saskatchewan Government in recent years, but we also aim to make sure Premier Wall keeps his promises to the people."

Updates to the One Saskatchewan Platform, and the Party's guiding principles are available at www.saskgreen.ca

ONE SASKATCHEWAN

Energy

• A Green Party of Saskatchewan Government will officially recognize that Saskatchewan needs to become a net zero carbon province in electricity by 2030 and all energy use by 2050.

• Green MLAs will move to create a fixed feed-in tariff system to incentivise green energy growth in Saskatchewan.

• Green MLAs will introduce the following policies on nuclear power:
  • Green MLAs would immediately legislate a ban on nuclear waste storage and transportation in Saskatchewan
  • That no further provincial money be spent on nuclear power. The provincial government further directs all Department, Agencies and Crown Corporations to abandon any proposals to develop nuclear power programs for the Province. That the province direct all Departments, Agencies and CrownCorporations to categorically refuse to partner with the nuclear industry.
  •  Green MLAs would move to eliminate direct drilling incentives—estimated at $248 million.
Health

• A Green Party of Saskatchewan Government will officially recognize that an effective health system requires that healthy air, water and food is available to all Saskatchewan citizens.

• In accordance with Tommy Douglas’s vision for health care, the Green Party would move to put doctors on salary and remove the pay per service system currently in place.

• One of the major social determinants of health is poverty. As such, Green MLAs will push to create a Guaranteed Liveable Income to ensure poverty in Saskatchewan is eliminated, leading to better health for all citizens.

• Green MLAs would eliminate ambulance fees currently in place across the province.

Education

• Green MLAs will endorse and work toward a publicly funded, universally accessible system of post secondary education in the province, and Green MLAs will work for the establishment of a zero tuition fee policy for post secondary education.

• The Green Party of Saskatchewan recognizes that primary year education is key to the development of productive, healthy members of society. Green MLAs will focus on ensuring teachers are adequately supported and funded at all levels of education, and that a student to teacher ratio of 20-1 is maintained in all K-8 classrooms.

• The Green Party of Saskatchewan upon forming government would immediately reinstate the Education Assistant program to ensure that children with special needs can be integrated into the classroom.

Housing

• A Green Party of Saskatchewan Government would incentivise the private sector as well as fund Sask Housing to ensure Saskatchewan residents have affordable housing.

• A Green Party of Saskatchewan government will increase funding to Sask Housing for the building of energy efficient social housing, with the option to purchase.

• Green MLAs would incentivise the private creation of multi-unit residential spaces across the province.

• A Green Party of Saskatchewan Government would work to eliminate red tape and regulations that prevent the construction of multi-unit housing.

1 comment:

  1. Mostly good ideas. Not sure about free tuition but certainly lower is better. Should have something in there about equalizing funding to schools ie doing away with land taxes in an area supporting only schools in that area. Land taxes should go into a pool along with other property taxes and schools be funded equally/equitably from it.

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